RIP GINCHY - Saturday 21st July 2018

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I met Milky that morning as I was going out for a surf at Godrevy. He told me Paul had died in the early hours. It was a hammer blow. I was shocked, stunned and instantly conflicted - I really didn't feel like surfing but after to-ing and fro-ing on the shoreline for five minutes, I decided to paddle out anyway..

It was the worst surf I've ever had.

The worst because I was upset and distracted and overcome by grief. My mind was spinning with thoughts of Ginch. I swore, I sobbed, I shouted in frustration that he'd drawn his last breath while the rest of us could carry on living life. I was sad for Jenny and his daughters, all his family.

Maybe being in the surf was the best place for me to process this. On dry land I'd be a mess, pacing up and down, agitated and confused, not knowing what to do with myself. Being in the sea at Godrevy, on my board, was probably the best place I could have been. Every wave, every ride, every splash, every paddle-stroke was with Paul by my side.

I certainly couldn't call it a good session but it was the best I could do that day.

MID-TIDE CRISIS

I need some positivity.

It feels like there are too many people happily losing the plot. Too many people gleefully embracing fear and hatred.

It's official - ignorance is bliss.

And personally, there's way too much pain & sadness happening... Friends losing their minds, friends ending their relationships, friends sinking into depression, friends dying! Friends of mine actually fucking dying!

Light and shade, good and bad, up and down. Can't have one without the other, as simple as night and day.

I know that.

I also know it's facile to draw an analogy between the harsh realities of life & death with something as pointless and selfish as surfing. But it helps me process this stuff.

At the moment I'm fed up with being caught inside, continually hammered by the sets, tumbled in the whitewater, not knowing which way is up or down. I can't wait to be out the back again, catching the wave of the day, gliding and sliding with a big smile on my face.

And getting through all this shit is just another mid-tide crisis.

FIN

Having ridden the same 9" squirrel tail fin in my longboard for over 10 years I felt it was about time for a change.

Lately I've been surfing a lot with my 17yr old son, who has a very clear idea of the kind of surfing he wants to do. He is all about the trad style with a mix of old school colouring and a layer of youthful flair.

Watching him surf has inspired me to start thinking again about what I do on a wave. The squirrel tail is a very good allrounder - quick to turn, decent drive and enough rudder to hold a noseride if you're nimble and the wave is 'just right'. But it felt like my surfing was a little stagnant and this in turn pushed me to pop out the old squirrel tail and slot in a 10" Josh Farberow Flex by Trueames.

Wow, everything changed instantly. It feels like my 13 year old log is brand new. It rides so differently. Grippy and solid for cross-steps, yet still enough flex to squirt some drive when the wave jacks up and a quick redirect is required.

It's all about the fin!

WHY I'M NOT A 'SURFER'

I started skating in '76, surfing in '79. And even though the two were supposed to be closely related, it was crystal clear to me where the real style was...

(Don't ever call me a surfer.)

80s pro surfers, Niijima island, Japan. Pic: Tom Carroll

Click pic for way too much detail...

NEW SCRIBBLINGS

Buzzing with ideas this year..

Retro-ish typography for your local spot - why not?

You can see some similar stuff here.

COMING THIS YEAR...

Gonna be revealing some nice stuff this year..

Coming soon...